ANALYSIS Amidst the conflicting views over the "death" of Pakatan Rakyat, the DAP dropped bombshells by recruiting a few prominent Malay leaders and this has indeed raised some eyebrows.

On June 13, three days prior to DAP reading out its eulogy to Pakatan, the party announced in the PAS stronghold of Kelantan that national laureate A Samad Said , fondly known as Pak Samad, is joining the party.

One week later, former Johor PAS Youth member Sheikh Omar Ali left the Islamist party and embraced the secular DAP.

Some political pundits read these moves as signs for DAP to solicit the ousted progressive faction of PAS, which is looking for "new vehicle" to further its political struggle.

However, if Pak Samad will only play the role of “mascot” in DAP, this move may backfire, political analyst Fathi Aris Omar said.

This is because the timing, venue and political context of the joining is "insensitive", the former chief editor of Malaysiakini wrote in his Facebook post.

Firstly, Pak Samad joined DAP when the party is at loggerheads with PAS; secondly, the announcement was made in Kelantan, PAS's ruling state; and thirdly, DAP offered to help rebuild a mosque  in Kelantan that was destroyed by floodwaters.

DAP's insensitivity about Malay culture

All these moves, Fathi pointed out, show that DAP is being insensitive to Malay culture.

"DAP does not understand, or forgot its methods in canvassing Malays to join the party. If this is done inappropriately, (it will be) counter-productive.

"If Pak Samad, a national leader who once fought for national agendas like Bersih, becomes DAP's ‘Malay token’ as a ‘mascot’ in the conflict with PAS, I can only express my sympathy," Fathi ( photo ) wrote in his posting.

In an interview, Pak Samad said he is aged and is not interested in obtaining party posts or to contest in a general election, adding that he is willing to be a "DAP slave" (hamba DAP).

"Malays cannot accept that their leaders are merely slaves in DAP.

"If they support DAP, the Malays want their leaders to be on an equal footing with the other leaders, not just a ‘slave’, ‘mascot’ or ‘token’," Fathi said.

Wan Saiful: Pak Samad will not be ‘a slave’

However, IDEAS chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan begs to differ.

"It is difficult to be just a 'mascot'. We are talking about Pak Samad here, one who has a lot of experience (in political activism). He will not let himself to be bullied (diperkudakan)," Wan Saiful told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Pak Samad's language is "colourful" and should not be read superficially, he added.

"If you join DAP, you will not be a slave. This is not the traditional meaning of slave. You will have a chance to shape the views and vision of the party.

"Individuals like Pak Samad have a lot of followers. His followers may follow him and join DAP," Wan Saiful said.

However, he said, the progressives in PAS would not jump ship because of this.

"They (the PAS progressives) need national positions (in DAP, if they join)... even if in the grassroots, they will stay with the party that was created by their leaders, rather than move to DAP. They uphold Islamic values, the ideology is different," he said.

Analysts note that since the 13th general election, DAP has been actively reaching out to the Malay voters, even triggering a "Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean" debate in the party.

But this round is slightly different. In conjunction with the demise of the Pakatan coalition, this wave of Malay celebrities joining DAP is of more strategic significance.

Political vacuum after Pakatan's break-up

On the heels of the Pakatan break-up, a political vacuum emerged within the Malay community, says political observer Lim Hong Siang.

For some people, they are disgusted with Umno's abuse of power, and they neither favour the religious ideology of PAS, nor have confidence in PKR, a party that is frequently embroiled in infighting.

Thus, Pak Samad's joining DAP has opened up an option for them.

"It created an impact on the media, breaking the image that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam party and it lets the people consider DAP as an option," said Lim.

Compared with former DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, who is seen as very "Westernised", Pak Samad's joining has more impact on the Malays, especially those at the grassroots.

"Pak Samad's Malayness is prominent. His joining DAP will have an impact on the Malays," Lim added.

However, whether this will also trigger the PAS progressive faction to follow Pak Samad's footstep remains unclear, he said.

‘Ubah’ pioneer or Malay ‘mascot’?

A picture of former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang is circulating on the social media, showing DAP to be soliciting the PAS progressives, he pointed out.

However, the PAS progressive faction seems weighing the pros and cons, he said.

"The defeated leaders are thinking that ‘we are labelled as Anwar's puppets and DAP's lackey in PAS’. If they join DAP now, it (will be seen as) these claims are being validated.

"You join DAP after leaving PAS, it is a bonus for DAP in some way because it plays down DAP's Chineseness. But for leaders like Mohamad Sabu, they will need a few years to explain to the people why they joined," Lim noted.

After the 61st PAS muktamar, the PAS progressive faction members have been going on a national roadshow, claiming that they will continue their struggle through a "new vehicle".

The form this "new vehicle" will take, whether they will be staying in PAS, joining other political parties or creating a new NGO, remains the hot topic among political observers.

DAP and Pak Samad's next move will decide whether Pak Samad becomes a "Ubah" (change) pioneer of the party, or merely a Malay "mascot".

ADRIAN WONG is a member of the Malaysiakini team.